One Direction: This Is Us Review

One Direction is the boy band of our generation, whether you like it or not. Let’s just all accept this before we carry on. For as many people who don’t like them, there are probably 2 or 3 more who do… albeit, they will be teenaged girls and their middle aged moms who will take them to a 1D concert.

This film is a documentary on the journey the 1D boys have gone on throughout their world tour, starting in Tokyo Japan at the beginning of this year. It also provides footage of the boys (Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson) in their pre X-Factor days, as well as meeting their families and hometowns.

While watching this documentary I can’t help but think… these are the luckiest boys on the planet. All they do is travel the world and have fun. That is the crux of the film and the general message that they try to send out throughout the entire 92mins; that they are just guys having fun. It was almost too much, as if they wanted to shout at the camera “we’re normal like you, we swear!” I brought along a friend of mine, a true 1D fan, to the screening. Watching her reactions were interesting and more entertaining than the film itself. She screamed when they came on screen and shouted at the screen when they showed other 1D fans. I must assume this is what every 1D fan is like, so completely dedicated and absorbed into the fantasy world. Yes, anonymous One Direction fan reading this… Niall IS really singing to YOU in “Little Things”.

Interesting enough, the man in the directors’ seat is none other than Morgan Spurlock. You might remember him as the guy from “Super-Size Me” or “The Greatest Movie Ever sold”. Not your average music documentary guy, but clearly it’s what he’s been wanting to do for a while now. He also unsuccessfully wanted to direct the Justin Bieber film “Never say Never”, as well as the Katy Perry Film “Part of Me”.

At beginning of the film you see Martin Scorsese meeting the boys backstage, with whom I can only assume are his granddaughters? You can also look out for other celebrities, like Chris Rock and several other A-listers with kids who want some face time with the group.

The Film doesn’t try to make you think that they are the biggest thing that has happened to life since creation (unlike a certain Bieber documentary). It really is just a window into their world. You even get to go camping with them and watch as they try to pitch tents and start fires (no innuendos intended whatsoever). A true fan will love it and a casual observer can enjoy watching mass hysteria everywhere these lads leave their trail. This kind of boy band love hasn’t been seen since the days of N’Sync. Who knows, maybe we will get to see One Direction reunite at the 2043 MTV Movie awards. “Like OH EM GEE I’m so there!” – said every future middle aged 1D fan. Funniest quote from the movie “the One Direction sound is…Dangerous!”